Date: Thursday, Ocotber 13, 2011
Time: 4:40 p.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Yards
256 days to Olympic Trials
400 warm up (75 choice/25 scull)
Three rounds:
2x50 on 1:00, done as 25 breast pullout and one stroke repeated/25 three kicks, one stroke, three pulls, one stroke)
2x75 on 1:15 (back/breast/free, with no more than five strokes on breast)
4x25 on :30 (odd: breast pull with flutter kick, even: three kicks, three strokes)
Two rounds:
2x100 on 1:45 (75 breast kick with arms in varying positions/25 breast pull) Note: This was supposed to be done with a snorkel but I did not have one.
2x50 on 1:00 (one breaststroke kick, one breaststroke stroke, one kick, one pull)
2x75 on 1:15 (back/breast/free)
Two rounds:
1x150 on 2:15 (back/breast pull by 25 for 100, then back/breast by 25 with no buoy on last 50)
1x100 on 1:30 -- 75 free/25 breast at 500 free aerobic pace plus 5
2x75 on 1:20 (25 breast pull/25 breast kick underwater/25 underwater pullouts)
1x100 on 1:30 -- 75 free/25 breast at 500 free aerobic pace plus 2
3x50 on :40 (1 back, 1 breast, 1 free)
1x100 on 1:30 -- 75 free/25 breast at 500 free aerobic pace
200 warmdown: 25 double-arm back with breast kick/25 scull for 150, then 50 feet-first scull on back
Total: 4,000 yards (80 minutes)
Today's workout with the age groupers at Phoenix Swim Club was physically tough and mentally challenging, as you can see. The final set was very grueling, especially since I did not know what my 500 aerobic pace really was. I think it's around 1:05 .. but I went :58 on the final 100 in both rounds. Maybe a little too fast, but I managed to be one of the few to not only make those 50s on :40, but be able to do that final 100 well. My heart rate was 180 at the end of the set. A little high, but not out of the ordinary for me.
During the first set, Coley Stickels, the head coach at Phoenix Swim Club, was surprised that my breaststroke pull is so wide. I told him that many have remarked on that, but no one ever told me to make my pull narrower. Since my breaststroke is very reliant on my upper body strength, I feel the need to get a wide pull to grab more water. I have never felt like this slows me down, and the wider pull does not put pressure on my shoulders. On the second set, I pulled narrower on some of my strokes to see how it felt. I didn't think I was getting very good distance per stroke. It is something I will explore, just to see if a narrower pull will translate to faster times.
I was worried that my body wouldn't want to do any fast swimming after a long day at work, but it responded very well to everything I asked of it ... although the chicken salad I had for lunch wanted to join the party a couple of times.
By the way, Coley really thinks I can go 1:02 in the 100 breast at Trials. Ha! Of course, nothing's impossible, but that is a major mountain to climb. My lifetime best is 1:02.46, and to imagine that I could go a best time at 38 years old in my best event seems preposterous. But isn't that the job of a good coach, to make us believe that anything is possible?
This weekend could be a step in that direction. I'll be racing for the first time since making my Trials cut, and while I don't expect fast times since I won't be shaved or rested, I will use the meet as a barometer of what needs to be done in the remaining seven weeks of the season.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Somebody's Watching Me
Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Yards
257 days to Olympic Trials
300 warmup
8x100 on 1:45
Odd: 25 free with strong kick/25 free with easy kick
Even: 50 choice/50 build
Four rounds:
12-1/2 from blocks
25 with fast turn
12-1/2 fast
(About 15 seconds rest between each, and a minute between rounds)
4x(6x50 on 1:00)
3 and 6 fast in each round
Round 1 and 3 free: 25.2, 24.9, 25.3, 25.3
Round 2 back: 25.9, 26.2
Round 4 breast: 29.5, 29.3
Easy 300
4x50 on 2:00 done as broken 200 IM
25.5 + 26.9 + 28.6 + 24.4 = 1:45.4
Easy 200
Total: 3,200 yards (75 minutes)
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warmup exercises
Sitting bench press (12 @ 155, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 185)
Leg extensions (12 @ 140, 8 @ 160, 6 @ 175)
Bicep curls (12 @ 25 (each arm), 8 @ 35, 6 @ 40)
4x20 box jumps
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
When I amend the workout to get more rest during the sprint sets, I sometimes feel eyes shooting daggers around me. While the entire pool is swimming fast, I'm swimming easy. I've told many people why I take more rest on sprint sets, and though they say it's a good idea, no one really does it with me. Maybe they are afraid of the coach yelling at them or fearful they're not getting an optimal workout done. Either way, I feel the jealousy spreadig through the air most days. Today it took a lot of effort to erase those thoughts and concentrate on my swimming.
Today's workout produced surprisingly positive results. I was worried that last night's gym workout would take some of the edge off my muscles and fatigue them faster. But all my strokes felt very good today. I was especially happy with the 28.6 in the 50 breast in the broken 200 IM. I think I can be faster in my 50 freestyles, but I'm still learning this new stroke technique, and I'm not sure if it's making me faster or slower. I know my stroke has changed dramatically. I will conduct a test soon to see if my old stroke or new stroke is faster. I won't do that test in the 100 free I'm racing this weekend, though if I find that I'm losing ground, I might revert to the old stroke, which did produce a great result last April (47.29 in 100 free).
Speaking of that broken 200 IM, I had mixed feelings about doing it on a two-minute interval.
I had to go to the gym today, because it was the last day I would have this week to do so. I tried to work different muscles today, but it's not easy when the exercises you do work more than one muscle group. Though I wasn't sore in the pool, I definitely felt the pain and soreness in the weight room. I cut the workout short by one exercise (I had planned to do work on triceps), and did more stretching than abdominal work today. Before I left, I rolled my lats and deltoids on one of those foam rollers, and it felt like heaven when I was done. I will still need a handful of ibuprofen before bedtime.
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Yards
257 days to Olympic Trials
300 warmup
8x100 on 1:45
Odd: 25 free with strong kick/25 free with easy kick
Even: 50 choice/50 build
Four rounds:
12-1/2 from blocks
25 with fast turn
12-1/2 fast
(About 15 seconds rest between each, and a minute between rounds)
4x(6x50 on 1:00)
3 and 6 fast in each round
Round 1 and 3 free: 25.2, 24.9, 25.3, 25.3
Round 2 back: 25.9, 26.2
Round 4 breast: 29.5, 29.3
Easy 300
4x50 on 2:00 done as broken 200 IM
25.5 + 26.9 + 28.6 + 24.4 = 1:45.4
Easy 200
Total: 3,200 yards (75 minutes)
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warmup exercises
Sitting bench press (12 @ 155, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 185)
Leg extensions (12 @ 140, 8 @ 160, 6 @ 175)
Bicep curls (12 @ 25 (each arm), 8 @ 35, 6 @ 40)
4x20 box jumps
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
When I amend the workout to get more rest during the sprint sets, I sometimes feel eyes shooting daggers around me. While the entire pool is swimming fast, I'm swimming easy. I've told many people why I take more rest on sprint sets, and though they say it's a good idea, no one really does it with me. Maybe they are afraid of the coach yelling at them or fearful they're not getting an optimal workout done. Either way, I feel the jealousy spreadig through the air most days. Today it took a lot of effort to erase those thoughts and concentrate on my swimming.
Today's workout produced surprisingly positive results. I was worried that last night's gym workout would take some of the edge off my muscles and fatigue them faster. But all my strokes felt very good today. I was especially happy with the 28.6 in the 50 breast in the broken 200 IM. I think I can be faster in my 50 freestyles, but I'm still learning this new stroke technique, and I'm not sure if it's making me faster or slower. I know my stroke has changed dramatically. I will conduct a test soon to see if my old stroke or new stroke is faster. I won't do that test in the 100 free I'm racing this weekend, though if I find that I'm losing ground, I might revert to the old stroke, which did produce a great result last April (47.29 in 100 free).
Speaking of that broken 200 IM, I had mixed feelings about doing it on a two-minute interval.
I had to go to the gym today, because it was the last day I would have this week to do so. I tried to work different muscles today, but it's not easy when the exercises you do work more than one muscle group. Though I wasn't sore in the pool, I definitely felt the pain and soreness in the weight room. I cut the workout short by one exercise (I had planned to do work on triceps), and did more stretching than abdominal work today. Before I left, I rolled my lats and deltoids on one of those foam rollers, and it felt like heaven when I was done. I will still need a handful of ibuprofen before bedtime.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Gonna (Butter)Fly Now
Date: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Yards
258 days to Olympic Trials
400 warmup
4x(3x50 on 1:00)
1: breast pull, 2: 25 fly/25back, 3: 25 breast/25 free
2x(4x125 on 2:00)
1. 50 fly/25 back/25 breast/25 free
2. 25 fly/50 back/25 breast/25 free
3. 25 fly/25 back/50 breast/25 free
4. 25 fly/25 back/25 breast/50 free
(averaged 1:25 per 125)
4x(3x50 on 1:00)
1. kick easy
2. kick/swim easy
3. swim at 200 IM pace
(fly 29, back 30, breast 33, free, 27)
Six rounds:
100 on 1:40
4x25 on :25
(On rounds 3 and 6, did 100 fast. All other times swam aerobic. Round 3: 56.2 for 100 back. Round 6: 1:02.2 for 100 breast)
100 easy (with five minutes stretching)
Total: 3,900 yards (75 minutes)
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warm-up exercises
Sitting bench press (12 @ 150, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 190)
Sitting lat pull (12 @ 140, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 185)
Leg press (12 @ 200, 8 @ 220, 6 @ 240)
Leg adductors (12 @ 150, 10 @ 180, 8 @ 200)
4x25 breaststroke strokes (with 5-lb. dumbbells in each hand)
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
Way too much fly today! I know it is IM day, but some days my body really does not want to do a lot of butterfly. This was one of those days. I am glad I did almost all of it. I will admit here that on the set of 125s, I skipped butterfly only once, and it was only a 25. I thought my heart rate was getting a little high on number six, so I figured not doing butterfly would help a little bit.
I wasn't extremely pleased with the 1:02 for the 100 breast. My stroke felt very good, but not very strong on the last 25. Alan Carter was doing a 100 IM in the lane next to me, and I figured racing next to him would be a good barometer of how fast I was going. I caught him on the third length, and naturally, he went right by me on the final length. I don't know if it was the huge wave he pushed into my lane on the last length, or genuine exhaustion, but it was tough getting to the wall. I think I might have swum the first 50 too fast. My coach said I was out in 29.8, which is a little fast for a 100 breast from a push, at least for me. I should have been about a half second slower on the first 50. You might not think that is much slower, but it does make a difference. I might have gone 1:01.5 if I had split it correctly.
I was surprised how much I did on the leg press at the gym today. I am being very cautious of doing maximum weight in this phase, because I could tear a muscle or tendon very easily. The key, I think, is to start off with an easy five-rep warm-up on each exercise, just to let your muscles know what they are being asked to do. Don't feel like you are going to fail on the set of 12, either.
I was asked by a teammate how much rest to take between each set of the 25 breaststroke strokes. It's a very good question that I didn't have the exact answer, because I don't quantify my rest between sets in the weight room. But, you should treat it as doing one round fairly easy, then three with a fast tempo (and correct technique). Twenty-five strokes for me is a 50-meter breast from a push (though I did 24 when I got my Trials cut), so I treat it as an all-out 50 in the pool. Give yourself adequate time to recover before doing the next one, which should be just as good as the previous set.
Speaking of recovery, it's time for bed! I can barely keep my eyes open. I keep thinking about the five-hour flight I have to Orlando this Friday, and how that will be a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Short Course Yards
258 days to Olympic Trials
400 warmup
4x(3x50 on 1:00)
1: breast pull, 2: 25 fly/25back, 3: 25 breast/25 free
2x(4x125 on 2:00)
1. 50 fly/25 back/25 breast/25 free
2. 25 fly/50 back/25 breast/25 free
3. 25 fly/25 back/50 breast/25 free
4. 25 fly/25 back/25 breast/50 free
(averaged 1:25 per 125)
4x(3x50 on 1:00)
1. kick easy
2. kick/swim easy
3. swim at 200 IM pace
(fly 29, back 30, breast 33, free, 27)
Six rounds:
100 on 1:40
4x25 on :25
(On rounds 3 and 6, did 100 fast. All other times swam aerobic. Round 3: 56.2 for 100 back. Round 6: 1:02.2 for 100 breast)
100 easy (with five minutes stretching)
Total: 3,900 yards (75 minutes)
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warm-up exercises
Sitting bench press (12 @ 150, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 190)
Sitting lat pull (12 @ 140, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 185)
Leg press (12 @ 200, 8 @ 220, 6 @ 240)
Leg adductors (12 @ 150, 10 @ 180, 8 @ 200)
4x25 breaststroke strokes (with 5-lb. dumbbells in each hand)
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
Way too much fly today! I know it is IM day, but some days my body really does not want to do a lot of butterfly. This was one of those days. I am glad I did almost all of it. I will admit here that on the set of 125s, I skipped butterfly only once, and it was only a 25. I thought my heart rate was getting a little high on number six, so I figured not doing butterfly would help a little bit.
I wasn't extremely pleased with the 1:02 for the 100 breast. My stroke felt very good, but not very strong on the last 25. Alan Carter was doing a 100 IM in the lane next to me, and I figured racing next to him would be a good barometer of how fast I was going. I caught him on the third length, and naturally, he went right by me on the final length. I don't know if it was the huge wave he pushed into my lane on the last length, or genuine exhaustion, but it was tough getting to the wall. I think I might have swum the first 50 too fast. My coach said I was out in 29.8, which is a little fast for a 100 breast from a push, at least for me. I should have been about a half second slower on the first 50. You might not think that is much slower, but it does make a difference. I might have gone 1:01.5 if I had split it correctly.
I was surprised how much I did on the leg press at the gym today. I am being very cautious of doing maximum weight in this phase, because I could tear a muscle or tendon very easily. The key, I think, is to start off with an easy five-rep warm-up on each exercise, just to let your muscles know what they are being asked to do. Don't feel like you are going to fail on the set of 12, either.
I was asked by a teammate how much rest to take between each set of the 25 breaststroke strokes. It's a very good question that I didn't have the exact answer, because I don't quantify my rest between sets in the weight room. But, you should treat it as doing one round fairly easy, then three with a fast tempo (and correct technique). Twenty-five strokes for me is a 50-meter breast from a push (though I did 24 when I got my Trials cut), so I treat it as an all-out 50 in the pool. Give yourself adequate time to recover before doing the next one, which should be just as good as the previous set.
Speaking of recovery, it's time for bed! I can barely keep my eyes open. I keep thinking about the five-hour flight I have to Orlando this Friday, and how that will be a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Date: Sunday, October 9, 2011
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Short Course Yards
260 days to Olympic Trials
400 warmup
3x(4x100 on 1:40)
1. free breathe every 5
2. back
3. breast kick drill (one pull, two kicks)
4. IM stroke drill
Two rounds:
4x50 breast on 1:00 holding :35
8x25 back on :30
4x50 free on 1:00, three breaths per 50
8x25 on :45, 15m sprint
Power Tower (90 percent full)
3x (3x50 on 1:30, done as 25 fast/25 easy)
1-3 breast
4-6 free
7-9 back
350 recovery
Five minutes stretching
Total: 3,800 yards (80 minutes)
Sometimes it is not easy to design a workout for yourself. I knew I wanted to do about 20 minutes work on the Power Tower and the 15m breakouts, but I didn't know how to get there. Sometimes it feels like garbage yardage, but today I used the warmup sets to focus on the weak parts of my strokes. On breaststroke, it is grabbing the water better with my feet. For freestyle, it is not losing the grip on the water halfway through the pull. For backstroke, it is swimming straight! I didn't succeed in swimming perfect backstroke. On one of the repeats, I cut my finger on the lane rope. The cut closed up fairly quick, thanks to the magic of chlorine, but it did sting for a few minutes. That is the danger of swimming backstroke outdoors. Sometimes your inner compass doesn't work.
If you do not have a Power Tower (or Power Rack or similar device) at your pool, you can amend the sets I do to be sets of all-out 50s on the same interval. Based on the number of strokes I took, I was basically swimming 50 yards without the turn. My times on each stroke were about five seconds faster than my actual 50s, which was OK by me. I hadn't filled the bucket on the Power Tower to almost full in a very long time, and I don't recall doing such a difficult set with that much water in the bucket. I am glad I was able to complete the set without failing on technique.
Today was one of my few solo workouts when I didn't feel any urge to cut short a set or end workout early. It did take me about 40 minutes for my body to feel good in the water, and it was just about that moment that I was ready to do the second round of the 50s breaststroke. Sometimes, it's like a light turns on. Other times, I just need to get my blood pumping for a while.
This was a great start to week two of eight in my sprint phase. This week will end with me competing/working at the Rowdy Gaines Classic in Orlando. I'm very much looking forward to the meet, though I wish it hadn't been on the same weekend as the Ron Johnson Invitational, which is going to be held on the campus of Arizona State University, where the late Ron Johnson coached for may years with great success. I'm not sure who will come to the Ron Johnson meet, but I suppose I'll be doing a virtual competition with them.
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Short Course Yards
260 days to Olympic Trials
400 warmup
3x(4x100 on 1:40)
1. free breathe every 5
2. back
3. breast kick drill (one pull, two kicks)
4. IM stroke drill
Two rounds:
4x50 breast on 1:00 holding :35
8x25 back on :30
4x50 free on 1:00, three breaths per 50
8x25 on :45, 15m sprint
Power Tower (90 percent full)
3x (3x50 on 1:30, done as 25 fast/25 easy)
1-3 breast
4-6 free
7-9 back
350 recovery
Five minutes stretching
Total: 3,800 yards (80 minutes)
Sometimes it is not easy to design a workout for yourself. I knew I wanted to do about 20 minutes work on the Power Tower and the 15m breakouts, but I didn't know how to get there. Sometimes it feels like garbage yardage, but today I used the warmup sets to focus on the weak parts of my strokes. On breaststroke, it is grabbing the water better with my feet. For freestyle, it is not losing the grip on the water halfway through the pull. For backstroke, it is swimming straight! I didn't succeed in swimming perfect backstroke. On one of the repeats, I cut my finger on the lane rope. The cut closed up fairly quick, thanks to the magic of chlorine, but it did sting for a few minutes. That is the danger of swimming backstroke outdoors. Sometimes your inner compass doesn't work.
If you do not have a Power Tower (or Power Rack or similar device) at your pool, you can amend the sets I do to be sets of all-out 50s on the same interval. Based on the number of strokes I took, I was basically swimming 50 yards without the turn. My times on each stroke were about five seconds faster than my actual 50s, which was OK by me. I hadn't filled the bucket on the Power Tower to almost full in a very long time, and I don't recall doing such a difficult set with that much water in the bucket. I am glad I was able to complete the set without failing on technique.
Today was one of my few solo workouts when I didn't feel any urge to cut short a set or end workout early. It did take me about 40 minutes for my body to feel good in the water, and it was just about that moment that I was ready to do the second round of the 50s breaststroke. Sometimes, it's like a light turns on. Other times, I just need to get my blood pumping for a while.
This was a great start to week two of eight in my sprint phase. This week will end with me competing/working at the Rowdy Gaines Classic in Orlando. I'm very much looking forward to the meet, though I wish it hadn't been on the same weekend as the Ron Johnson Invitational, which is going to be held on the campus of Arizona State University, where the late Ron Johnson coached for may years with great success. I'm not sure who will come to the Ron Johnson meet, but I suppose I'll be doing a virtual competition with them.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Enter Sandman
Date: Friday, October 7, 2011
Time: 5:50 a.m.
Short Course Yards
4x(4x75 on 1:15)
1: 25 kick/25 drill/25 swim
2: 25 head up/50 swim
3: 25 underwater kick/50 swim
Thirty seconds rest between the following distances:
150 breast kick moderate (2:30)
100 breast kick faster (1:38)
50 breast kick fast (:44)
50 breast kick moderate (:50)
100 breast kick faster (1:37)
150 breast kick fast (2:16)
200 kick recovery
12x25 breast swim on :35, holding :15
(The effort was similar to a 200 IM pace.)
300 easy (25 drill/25 swim)
12x50 on 1:00, every third fast
(Backstroke -- 26.0, 26.5, breaststroke -- 29.4, 29.7)
Three rounds:
30 seconds vertical kick breaststroke, holding 15-pound weights
30 seconds rest
100 easy (with stretching)
Total (not including vertical kicking): 3,000 yards
Last night at 11 p.m., I was covering the prelims of the FINA Swimming World Cup in Dubai for SwimmingWorld.com. I thought prelims would end by 11:15, but they weren't over until 11:45. I finally went to sleep at midnight. I was very concerned about how I would swim this morning with only five hours sleep, but I did very well! Maybe the chilly water (about 78 degrees) woke up my body enough to make it forget about the lack of sleep. My backstroke sprinting felt awesome today, though my breakouts weren't great, because I was circle swimming. As for my breaststroke, I was still not feeling the power in my legs, but my arm strokes were strong.
On the downside, I pulled my right rhomboid muscle during the main kick set. It happened, I believe, from doing repeated turns off the wall while holding a kickboard with my left hand. I think the motion strained the muscle, and it ached for the remainder of workout. It still hurts now, though not sharp pain. I think some Ben-Gay will take care of that.
The endorphin rush we get after swimming only lasted for 90 minutes. By 8:30 a.m., I was ready to crash ... hard. If I had fallen asleep at my desk, I could have easily slept for an hour. I'm not upset that I had to cover a meet in Dubai (a meet that turned out to be fairly slow, by the way) and get only five hours sleep. Because I will be doing this for just about all of the world cup meets, I need to better plan my life around them.
I planned to go to the gym after work today, but I figured in my physical condition, it might do more harm than good. So, I will take a two-hour nap before driving to Tucson for the weekend. Since I have no plans for Saturday, I can sleep through Saturday morning after covering the Dubai meet tonight.
Earlier today, I submitted my entries for the Rowdy Gaines Classic, which will take place next week in Orlando. I didn't want to overload myself with events, since my primary focus there is covering the meet for Swimming World. I'm excited to hang out with some famous names, including my "childhood" idol Tracey McFarlane. I was 16 when I went to my first USA Swimming nationals in 1990, and I got an autograph from Tracey. And being on the same deck as Olympic champions Martin Zubero and Brooke Bennett will be a blast as well. I'm swimming the 50 and 100 breaststrokes, the 100 back and 100 free. Yes, the 100 free. Why not?
Time: 5:50 a.m.
Short Course Yards
4x(4x75 on 1:15)
1: 25 kick/25 drill/25 swim
2: 25 head up/50 swim
3: 25 underwater kick/50 swim
Thirty seconds rest between the following distances:
150 breast kick moderate (2:30)
100 breast kick faster (1:38)
50 breast kick fast (:44)
50 breast kick moderate (:50)
100 breast kick faster (1:37)
150 breast kick fast (2:16)
200 kick recovery
12x25 breast swim on :35, holding :15
(The effort was similar to a 200 IM pace.)
300 easy (25 drill/25 swim)
12x50 on 1:00, every third fast
(Backstroke -- 26.0, 26.5, breaststroke -- 29.4, 29.7)
Three rounds:
30 seconds vertical kick breaststroke, holding 15-pound weights
30 seconds rest
100 easy (with stretching)
Total (not including vertical kicking): 3,000 yards
Last night at 11 p.m., I was covering the prelims of the FINA Swimming World Cup in Dubai for SwimmingWorld.com. I thought prelims would end by 11:15, but they weren't over until 11:45. I finally went to sleep at midnight. I was very concerned about how I would swim this morning with only five hours sleep, but I did very well! Maybe the chilly water (about 78 degrees) woke up my body enough to make it forget about the lack of sleep. My backstroke sprinting felt awesome today, though my breakouts weren't great, because I was circle swimming. As for my breaststroke, I was still not feeling the power in my legs, but my arm strokes were strong.
On the downside, I pulled my right rhomboid muscle during the main kick set. It happened, I believe, from doing repeated turns off the wall while holding a kickboard with my left hand. I think the motion strained the muscle, and it ached for the remainder of workout. It still hurts now, though not sharp pain. I think some Ben-Gay will take care of that.
The endorphin rush we get after swimming only lasted for 90 minutes. By 8:30 a.m., I was ready to crash ... hard. If I had fallen asleep at my desk, I could have easily slept for an hour. I'm not upset that I had to cover a meet in Dubai (a meet that turned out to be fairly slow, by the way) and get only five hours sleep. Because I will be doing this for just about all of the world cup meets, I need to better plan my life around them.
I planned to go to the gym after work today, but I figured in my physical condition, it might do more harm than good. So, I will take a two-hour nap before driving to Tucson for the weekend. Since I have no plans for Saturday, I can sleep through Saturday morning after covering the Dubai meet tonight.
Earlier today, I submitted my entries for the Rowdy Gaines Classic, which will take place next week in Orlando. I didn't want to overload myself with events, since my primary focus there is covering the meet for Swimming World. I'm excited to hang out with some famous names, including my "childhood" idol Tracey McFarlane. I was 16 when I went to my first USA Swimming nationals in 1990, and I got an autograph from Tracey. And being on the same deck as Olympic champions Martin Zubero and Brooke Bennett will be a blast as well. I'm swimming the 50 and 100 breaststrokes, the 100 back and 100 free. Yes, the 100 free. Why not?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Stormy Weather
Date: Thursday, October 6, 2011
Time: 5:35 a.m.
Short Course Yards
263 days to Olympic Trials
600 warmup
18x50 on :50, 2 free, 1 non-free
Two rounds:
Three minutes swim, dive every 25
Three minutes scull
Three minutes kick
Three minutes swim
(Did 62 lengths total)
6x50 on 1:05, five wall pushups at the 25
Total: 3350 yards
This morning, the temperature was about 70 degrees, the wind was blowing quite strongly, and it even rained for about five minutes as we started the long main set. That made getting out and diving even more enjoyable! Pretty soon, it will be cool every morning, and it will be time to break out the parkas! The only bad thing -- at least to me -- is that the heaters are now going to be turned on in the pool, and that means goodbye to cool water! Until next spring (around April), the pool will likely be too hot for swimming. It always is, and I used to complain about it. I won't anymore. It not only reaches deaf ears, but it only increases my mental frustration and takes away from my concentration during workout.
I had to get out of workout early this morning to go to the dentist (clean bill of health!), so I made a point to get to the pool as early as possible to do some yards before 5:50. I think there was about 800 yards left in workout when I was done. The main set was fun to do, and I set a challenge to do a mile in 24 minutes. All that sculling and kicking made it difficult, and I wasn't going to speed up the sculling just to get the yards in. These types of "exercise" sets show up often on Thursdays, and I like them because they break up the monotony of swimming back and forth, though getting out of the pool for dives doesn't get easier when you get older!
Since this is Thursday, I was planning on swimming with Coley Stickels' group at Phoenix Swim Club this afternoon, but I had errands to run today that needed to be done before I went to Tucson this weekend. Next week, I will definitely swim with Coley's group on Thursday to get some more breaststroke work done. In November, I'll switch to his Wednesday workouts for sprinting.
Time: 5:35 a.m.
Short Course Yards
263 days to Olympic Trials
600 warmup
18x50 on :50, 2 free, 1 non-free
Two rounds:
Three minutes swim, dive every 25
Three minutes scull
Three minutes kick
Three minutes swim
(Did 62 lengths total)
6x50 on 1:05, five wall pushups at the 25
Total: 3350 yards
This morning, the temperature was about 70 degrees, the wind was blowing quite strongly, and it even rained for about five minutes as we started the long main set. That made getting out and diving even more enjoyable! Pretty soon, it will be cool every morning, and it will be time to break out the parkas! The only bad thing -- at least to me -- is that the heaters are now going to be turned on in the pool, and that means goodbye to cool water! Until next spring (around April), the pool will likely be too hot for swimming. It always is, and I used to complain about it. I won't anymore. It not only reaches deaf ears, but it only increases my mental frustration and takes away from my concentration during workout.
I had to get out of workout early this morning to go to the dentist (clean bill of health!), so I made a point to get to the pool as early as possible to do some yards before 5:50. I think there was about 800 yards left in workout when I was done. The main set was fun to do, and I set a challenge to do a mile in 24 minutes. All that sculling and kicking made it difficult, and I wasn't going to speed up the sculling just to get the yards in. These types of "exercise" sets show up often on Thursdays, and I like them because they break up the monotony of swimming back and forth, though getting out of the pool for dives doesn't get easier when you get older!
Since this is Thursday, I was planning on swimming with Coley Stickels' group at Phoenix Swim Club this afternoon, but I had errands to run today that needed to be done before I went to Tucson this weekend. Next week, I will definitely swim with Coley's group on Thursday to get some more breaststroke work done. In November, I'll switch to his Wednesday workouts for sprinting.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Get Into the Groove
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Short Course Yards
264 days to Olympic Trials
300 warmup
6x50 on 1:00
(was supposed to do some breakouts and fast turns, but I wasn't ready to swim fast)
200 free aerobic on 4:00
(Went 2:18, was supposed to be fast but I wasn't fully warmed up)
2x100 IM aerobic on 2:00
4x50 on 1:00 (15y breakout/35y easy)
8x25 on :30
(1, 4, 6, 8 done with 15m breakouts)
200 free aerobic on 4:00 (2:20)
100 IM fast, followed by 100 easy on 4:00
(58.2 on fast 100 IM)
4x50 easy on 1:00
8x25 easy on :30
200 free aerobic on 4:00 (2:20)
2x100 back aerobic on 2:00
4x50 on 1:00
(1 and 3 fast breaststroke --> 29.6, 30.0)
8x25 easy on :30
200 free aerobic on 4:00 (2:21)
2x100 back aerobic on 2:00
4x50 easy on 1:00
8x25 on :30
#1 fast breast from a dive: 11.8
2 and 3 easy
4 fast from push: 13.8
5-7 easy
8 from a push: 13.5
100 easy (with stretching)
Total: 3,900 yards
Today was a good example of how I amend the posted workout to do some race-pace training. As you can see, we did essentially four rounds of four 200s in broken fashion. The 200 was supposed to be fast on the first round, the 100s fast on the second round, etc. The workout called for both 100s to be fast, but I only did one fast. It also called for all four 50s to be fast, but I did two of them fast. I was not happy with the IM time, but everything else was good. I didn't feel like I was in my groove until the final 15 minutes of the workout, which was right about the time we were doing the 50s fast. My stroke felt pretty good, though my legs are a little achy from last night's body work. I had a hard time grabbing water with my feet on the breaststroke kick, and I wasn't sure if I was moving forward.
All in all, it was a good workout. I got lots of chances to concentrate on speed and technique. I wanted to keep my stroke count low while improving my stroke tempo. Not an easy thing to do. I was taking 7.5 to eight strokes per length on breaststroke, and there's nothing bad about that, but I would have been much happier to go those times with just seven strokes. The dive 25 breast was a welcome surprise. I don't usually break 12 seconds until I start tapering!
Back in June, as I was preparing to make my Trials cut in the 100 breast, I asked one of the Phoenix Swim Club coaches, Takahisa Ide, to film my start to see what can be improved. You see the above-water shot here and the underwater shot here. As you will see in the underwater shot, my head was not between my arms, but well outside the body line, which was slowing me down. This was also true on my turns. After a couple of weeks of work, I believe fixing this technique flaw is what helped get me that Trials cut, and what helped me get under 12 seconds this morning. Thanks again, Tako!
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Short Course Yards
264 days to Olympic Trials
300 warmup
6x50 on 1:00
(was supposed to do some breakouts and fast turns, but I wasn't ready to swim fast)
200 free aerobic on 4:00
(Went 2:18, was supposed to be fast but I wasn't fully warmed up)
2x100 IM aerobic on 2:00
4x50 on 1:00 (15y breakout/35y easy)
8x25 on :30
(1, 4, 6, 8 done with 15m breakouts)
200 free aerobic on 4:00 (2:20)
100 IM fast, followed by 100 easy on 4:00
(58.2 on fast 100 IM)
4x50 easy on 1:00
8x25 easy on :30
200 free aerobic on 4:00 (2:20)
2x100 back aerobic on 2:00
4x50 on 1:00
(1 and 3 fast breaststroke --> 29.6, 30.0)
8x25 easy on :30
200 free aerobic on 4:00 (2:21)
2x100 back aerobic on 2:00
4x50 easy on 1:00
8x25 on :30
#1 fast breast from a dive: 11.8
2 and 3 easy
4 fast from push: 13.8
5-7 easy
8 from a push: 13.5
100 easy (with stretching)
Total: 3,900 yards
Today was a good example of how I amend the posted workout to do some race-pace training. As you can see, we did essentially four rounds of four 200s in broken fashion. The 200 was supposed to be fast on the first round, the 100s fast on the second round, etc. The workout called for both 100s to be fast, but I only did one fast. It also called for all four 50s to be fast, but I did two of them fast. I was not happy with the IM time, but everything else was good. I didn't feel like I was in my groove until the final 15 minutes of the workout, which was right about the time we were doing the 50s fast. My stroke felt pretty good, though my legs are a little achy from last night's body work. I had a hard time grabbing water with my feet on the breaststroke kick, and I wasn't sure if I was moving forward.
All in all, it was a good workout. I got lots of chances to concentrate on speed and technique. I wanted to keep my stroke count low while improving my stroke tempo. Not an easy thing to do. I was taking 7.5 to eight strokes per length on breaststroke, and there's nothing bad about that, but I would have been much happier to go those times with just seven strokes. The dive 25 breast was a welcome surprise. I don't usually break 12 seconds until I start tapering!
Back in June, as I was preparing to make my Trials cut in the 100 breast, I asked one of the Phoenix Swim Club coaches, Takahisa Ide, to film my start to see what can be improved. You see the above-water shot here and the underwater shot here. As you will see in the underwater shot, my head was not between my arms, but well outside the body line, which was slowing me down. This was also true on my turns. After a couple of weeks of work, I believe fixing this technique flaw is what helped get me that Trials cut, and what helped me get under 12 seconds this morning. Thanks again, Tako!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
I Need to Wake Up
Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Short Course Yards
265 days to Olympic Trials
1100 warmup
36x25 fly on :25
Alternate two kick, two swim
(Barely made interval on kick, held about :18 on swim ... and did not break stroke!)
8x50 swim on 1:00, working on IM transitions
(Did all as 25 back/25 breast)
6x250 back on 4:00, descend 1-3, 4-6
3:04, 2:56, 2:54, 3:15, 3:00, 2:50
50 easy
12x25 on :30, every third fast
Breaststroke: 14.4, 14.1, 14.3, 14.0
Easy 200
Total: 3,800 yards
On this first official swimming workout in my sprinting phase, I found myself lacking the necessary physical motivation to swim fast. I slept well last night, but it took my body nearly an hour of swimming to finally feel good. I couldn't get the turnover I wanted on the set of 250s, and I think I was trying too hard on the fast 25s. I was hoping my muscles would wake up and respond to the commands my brain was giving them, but it was a bit of a struggle today. On the fast 250 back when I went 2:50, I split 1:06 at the 100 and 2:16 at the 200. Terrible! My body didn't want to hold 1:06 for two straight 200s, even though that shouldn't be a problem. I think a lot of it had to do with the hard weight workout I did yesterday, but usually the opposite happens, in that my muscles feel so strong that I feel like I'm grabbing twice the amount of water than usual.
But with this being the first day of a new phase of the season, I know there is a long way to go, and I'm excited to see how it goes. My push pace times from the past month have been better than expected, so things are looking up!
This evening, I stopped by Tod Miller's Beyond Massage Therapy for some major body work. My muscles were in knots, and his bodywalking techniques have been a welcome relief. Though the session did involve actual massage, about half was devoted to the bodywalking, which not only puts body weight on pressure points and large muscle groups, but it helps to spread out the muscles and engage the nerve endings. Tomorrow, I'm certain I'll find a better feel for the water. Near the end of the session, as Tod was kneading out knots in my shoulder blades, he said: "You've been doing some training!" Each lactate flush he did with my muscles verified that. I've been putting some serious pressure on my body these past few weeks. It's all good, but I have to realize that I sometimes need to take a step back and realize that I'm 37, not 17. My body won't recover as quickly as it used to. Yes, I suppose I can drink those super-expensive gels and drinks to keep my muscles moving freely, but I think a very good and free way to do this is to increase the amount of stretching I do. I do about two minutes worth in my warm down after every pool workout. Maybe it's time to raise that to five minutes. Couldn't hurt, right?
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Short Course Yards
265 days to Olympic Trials
1100 warmup
36x25 fly on :25
Alternate two kick, two swim
(Barely made interval on kick, held about :18 on swim ... and did not break stroke!)
8x50 swim on 1:00, working on IM transitions
(Did all as 25 back/25 breast)
6x250 back on 4:00, descend 1-3, 4-6
3:04, 2:56, 2:54, 3:15, 3:00, 2:50
50 easy
12x25 on :30, every third fast
Breaststroke: 14.4, 14.1, 14.3, 14.0
Easy 200
Total: 3,800 yards
On this first official swimming workout in my sprinting phase, I found myself lacking the necessary physical motivation to swim fast. I slept well last night, but it took my body nearly an hour of swimming to finally feel good. I couldn't get the turnover I wanted on the set of 250s, and I think I was trying too hard on the fast 25s. I was hoping my muscles would wake up and respond to the commands my brain was giving them, but it was a bit of a struggle today. On the fast 250 back when I went 2:50, I split 1:06 at the 100 and 2:16 at the 200. Terrible! My body didn't want to hold 1:06 for two straight 200s, even though that shouldn't be a problem. I think a lot of it had to do with the hard weight workout I did yesterday, but usually the opposite happens, in that my muscles feel so strong that I feel like I'm grabbing twice the amount of water than usual.
But with this being the first day of a new phase of the season, I know there is a long way to go, and I'm excited to see how it goes. My push pace times from the past month have been better than expected, so things are looking up!
This evening, I stopped by Tod Miller's Beyond Massage Therapy for some major body work. My muscles were in knots, and his bodywalking techniques have been a welcome relief. Though the session did involve actual massage, about half was devoted to the bodywalking, which not only puts body weight on pressure points and large muscle groups, but it helps to spread out the muscles and engage the nerve endings. Tomorrow, I'm certain I'll find a better feel for the water. Near the end of the session, as Tod was kneading out knots in my shoulder blades, he said: "You've been doing some training!" Each lactate flush he did with my muscles verified that. I've been putting some serious pressure on my body these past few weeks. It's all good, but I have to realize that I sometimes need to take a step back and realize that I'm 37, not 17. My body won't recover as quickly as it used to. Yes, I suppose I can drink those super-expensive gels and drinks to keep my muscles moving freely, but I think a very good and free way to do this is to increase the amount of stretching I do. I do about two minutes worth in my warm down after every pool workout. Maybe it's time to raise that to five minutes. Couldn't hurt, right?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Let's Get Physical
Date: Monday, October 3, 2011
Time: 6 p.m.
276 days to Olympic Trials
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warmup exercises
Sitting bench press (5 @ 90, 12 @ 140, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 185)
Standing lat pulldown (5 @ 50, 12 @ 60, 8 @ 90, 6 @ 105)
Leg extensions (5 @ 70, 12 @ 130, 8 @ 160, 6 @ 170)
Hamstring curls (5 @ 70, 12 @ 90, 8 @ 120, 6 @ 130)
4x25 breaststroke strokes on therapy ball (w/ five-pound dumbbells)
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
Since yesterday's workout in the pool had no real race-pace training in it, I officially name today the official start of my sprint phase. For the next eight weeks, I will be focusing on building stroke-specific strength in and out of the pool, while getting my fast-twitch muscles ready to race on December 10. This will be done every day in some fashion, even on recovery days. As we go through this phase, you will see what I mean when I say every day will have some racing focus.
No swimming today, and I was worried about doing two weight workouts in a row. I hardly ever do that, but my schedule after work for the rest of the week will keep me from getting to the weight room again until Saturday at the earliest. The stuff you see above is the type of exercises I will be doing this week and next. That will be followed by a week of "recovery" in the gym, where I do my normal 15-12-10 sets. Then, repeat that three-week cycle again, followed by tow more hard weeks and finally, taper!
Doing the breaststroke strokes on the therapy ball really helped me focus on where the most power comes in the stroke, and what muscles are responsible for it. I recommend this to people who have difficulty generating a fast tempo on sprint breaststroke.
I've just chugged a 16-ounce glass of milk with protein powder mixed in (great for recovery) and now it's time to settle in with pasta, tuna and broccoli -- and tonight's new episode of "How I Met Your Mother."
Time: 6 p.m.
276 days to Olympic Trials
At the gym:
Five minutes shoulder warmup exercises
Sitting bench press (5 @ 90, 12 @ 140, 8 @ 170, 6 @ 185)
Standing lat pulldown (5 @ 50, 12 @ 60, 8 @ 90, 6 @ 105)
Leg extensions (5 @ 70, 12 @ 130, 8 @ 160, 6 @ 170)
Hamstring curls (5 @ 70, 12 @ 90, 8 @ 120, 6 @ 130)
4x25 breaststroke strokes on therapy ball (w/ five-pound dumbbells)
Ten minutes abdominals and stretching
Since yesterday's workout in the pool had no real race-pace training in it, I officially name today the official start of my sprint phase. For the next eight weeks, I will be focusing on building stroke-specific strength in and out of the pool, while getting my fast-twitch muscles ready to race on December 10. This will be done every day in some fashion, even on recovery days. As we go through this phase, you will see what I mean when I say every day will have some racing focus.
No swimming today, and I was worried about doing two weight workouts in a row. I hardly ever do that, but my schedule after work for the rest of the week will keep me from getting to the weight room again until Saturday at the earliest. The stuff you see above is the type of exercises I will be doing this week and next. That will be followed by a week of "recovery" in the gym, where I do my normal 15-12-10 sets. Then, repeat that three-week cycle again, followed by tow more hard weeks and finally, taper!
Doing the breaststroke strokes on the therapy ball really helped me focus on where the most power comes in the stroke, and what muscles are responsible for it. I recommend this to people who have difficulty generating a fast tempo on sprint breaststroke.
I've just chugged a 16-ounce glass of milk with protein powder mixed in (great for recovery) and now it's time to settle in with pasta, tuna and broccoli -- and tonight's new episode of "How I Met Your Mother."
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Sunday in the Park With George
Date: Sunday, October 2, 2011
Time: 9:15 a.m.
267 days to Olympic Trials
At the gym:
20 minutes elliptical machine
Five minutes shoulder exercises
Sitting bench press (15 @ 120, 12 @ 140, 10 @ 160)
Sitting leg press (15 @ 140, 12 @ 180, 10 @ 220)
Triceps (15 @ 80, 12 @ 100, 10 @ 120)
15 minutes abdominals and stretching
10:30 a.m. at the pool
800 warmup
4x200 free on 3:00, breathing every 5 holding easy pace
(Averaged 2:23)
4x200 free on 2:40, breathing every 3, aerobic pace
(Averaged 2:19)
4x200 free on 2:20, choice of breathing pattern
(2:07. 2:09, 2:18...rested for first 100 of #4, then did a 1:09 final 100)
400 recovery
4x100 free on 1:30, aerobic pace
(Averaged 1:12, slightly slower than aerobic)
4x75 back on 1:20, aerobic
(Averaged :52)
4x50 breast strong pace on 1:10
(30.4, 31.3, 31.0, 30.5)
8x25 no breath on :45 (done as three underwater breast pullouts)
Easy 100
Today fulfilled my once-monthly Sunday workout with Phoenix Swim Club. With today starting my eight-week sprint phase, I knew before I walked into the facility that the workout would not have any race-pace sets for me. Even if this were not the start of my sprint phase of training, the set of 200s would have been impossible for me. It's an easy excuse to say I'm not a distance swimmer, and that my body does not know how to hold a fast pace for four 200s with only about 10 seconds rest. I thought I could make it through 3.5 of the 200s, but I hit a wall big time at the 50-yard mark of number three. It was impossible to push through. The lactic acid was piling up in my body, my lungs couldn't bring in enough oxygen, and I was getting that nauseous feeling in my stomach that I get during long swims. I thought about pushing through number four, but it would have been a wasted 200 anyway.
I was happy about the 50s breast at the end, because I hadn't done much breaststroke to warm up. Given the interval, I didn't want to push the 50s too hard. I could have gone 29-plus on the first two, but I might have deteriorated on number three. You need at least 90 seconds to do all-out sprints correctly. I kept my form on all four, and was happy to hear the times called out to me.
Today in the gym was not indicative of the sprint phase. I didn't want to do anything too hard right before a Sunday workout, though I did increase the weights on some sets. I didn't feel any negative effects of doing that in the pool.
A lot of you have responded publicly or privately about my post from last Friday about my poor eating habits. The main consensus is that oatmeal is a very good breakfast choice, and I agree. I used to eat oatmeal almost every day, but I think I gave it up a few months ago because it seemed weird to eat hot cereal in the morning in Phoenix, when it was already 95 degrees! I went to the grocery store today and got a large container of Quaker instant oatmeal, a gallon of milk, raisins and a container of vanilla-flavored soy/whey protein powder. I'll mix that into my oatmeal. I won't eat oatmeal for every breakfast, but it will be the majority of them. Other times, it might be bagels and cream cheese, while others might be a bagel with ham and cheese.
Thanks to all who chimed in with their thoughts. One person suggested I should post everything I eat, along with caloric intake, protein consumption, etc. I don't think I can promise to do that consistently, especially since most of my day is spent grazing on stuff like handfuls of Cheerios or a bagel at 3:00 to keep my blood sugar up until dinner. Plus, I tried to do that when I was training in Colorado Springs, and it's a nightmare to keep in a journal. I also mentioned that I hope to lose five pounds in a matter of weeks, and since I don't have a scale at home, that goal is only an estimate and will be mostly determined by the size of my midsection. I don't check myself out in the mirror every day, but often I'll notice the tiny spare tire forming around my waist, and I can't show up at Olympic Trials with a muffin top! Once I lose that weight (or replace it with muscle), I will work to keep it off through June 25, 2012.
Time: 9:15 a.m.
267 days to Olympic Trials
At the gym:
20 minutes elliptical machine
Five minutes shoulder exercises
Sitting bench press (15 @ 120, 12 @ 140, 10 @ 160)
Sitting leg press (15 @ 140, 12 @ 180, 10 @ 220)
Triceps (15 @ 80, 12 @ 100, 10 @ 120)
15 minutes abdominals and stretching
10:30 a.m. at the pool
800 warmup
4x200 free on 3:00, breathing every 5 holding easy pace
(Averaged 2:23)
4x200 free on 2:40, breathing every 3, aerobic pace
(Averaged 2:19)
4x200 free on 2:20, choice of breathing pattern
(2:07. 2:09, 2:18...rested for first 100 of #4, then did a 1:09 final 100)
400 recovery
4x100 free on 1:30, aerobic pace
(Averaged 1:12, slightly slower than aerobic)
4x75 back on 1:20, aerobic
(Averaged :52)
4x50 breast strong pace on 1:10
(30.4, 31.3, 31.0, 30.5)
8x25 no breath on :45 (done as three underwater breast pullouts)
Easy 100
Today fulfilled my once-monthly Sunday workout with Phoenix Swim Club. With today starting my eight-week sprint phase, I knew before I walked into the facility that the workout would not have any race-pace sets for me. Even if this were not the start of my sprint phase of training, the set of 200s would have been impossible for me. It's an easy excuse to say I'm not a distance swimmer, and that my body does not know how to hold a fast pace for four 200s with only about 10 seconds rest. I thought I could make it through 3.5 of the 200s, but I hit a wall big time at the 50-yard mark of number three. It was impossible to push through. The lactic acid was piling up in my body, my lungs couldn't bring in enough oxygen, and I was getting that nauseous feeling in my stomach that I get during long swims. I thought about pushing through number four, but it would have been a wasted 200 anyway.
I was happy about the 50s breast at the end, because I hadn't done much breaststroke to warm up. Given the interval, I didn't want to push the 50s too hard. I could have gone 29-plus on the first two, but I might have deteriorated on number three. You need at least 90 seconds to do all-out sprints correctly. I kept my form on all four, and was happy to hear the times called out to me.
Today in the gym was not indicative of the sprint phase. I didn't want to do anything too hard right before a Sunday workout, though I did increase the weights on some sets. I didn't feel any negative effects of doing that in the pool.
A lot of you have responded publicly or privately about my post from last Friday about my poor eating habits. The main consensus is that oatmeal is a very good breakfast choice, and I agree. I used to eat oatmeal almost every day, but I think I gave it up a few months ago because it seemed weird to eat hot cereal in the morning in Phoenix, when it was already 95 degrees! I went to the grocery store today and got a large container of Quaker instant oatmeal, a gallon of milk, raisins and a container of vanilla-flavored soy/whey protein powder. I'll mix that into my oatmeal. I won't eat oatmeal for every breakfast, but it will be the majority of them. Other times, it might be bagels and cream cheese, while others might be a bagel with ham and cheese.
Thanks to all who chimed in with their thoughts. One person suggested I should post everything I eat, along with caloric intake, protein consumption, etc. I don't think I can promise to do that consistently, especially since most of my day is spent grazing on stuff like handfuls of Cheerios or a bagel at 3:00 to keep my blood sugar up until dinner. Plus, I tried to do that when I was training in Colorado Springs, and it's a nightmare to keep in a journal. I also mentioned that I hope to lose five pounds in a matter of weeks, and since I don't have a scale at home, that goal is only an estimate and will be mostly determined by the size of my midsection. I don't check myself out in the mirror every day, but often I'll notice the tiny spare tire forming around my waist, and I can't show up at Olympic Trials with a muffin top! Once I lose that weight (or replace it with muscle), I will work to keep it off through June 25, 2012.
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